Communication Cycle

The communication cycle is a fundamental part of all of our lives. It is the structure in how we communicate. There are different ways of communicating and as we are communicating we are gaining more knowledge all the time. The communication cycle is useful to use when communicating sensitive subjects.

The communication cycle structure starts with aim. At this stage we aim to think about how we will communicate the information and who we will communicate it to. In this case study the aim is to give the patient information before she is discharged from the hospital. In order to resolve the situation the multidisciplinary team (MDT) needs to organise the discharge home package for Mrs Ahmed who has just undergone bowel surgery. They need to make sure that Mrs Ahmed understands the information clearly.
The next stage in the communication cycle is encoding, here we have to consider what language to speak in. Encoding takes place in this case study when the aim is being communicated in verbal communication. In the case study Mr and Mrs Ahmed speak minimal English as this is causing a problem because the service provider is using English. The service provider is using formal English and a lot of medical terminology. To resolve the situation here the MDT used a lot of medical terminology, however Mrs Ahmed speaks minimal English so they need to make sure she understands the situation, they could do this by getting a translator or speaking in simple terms she would have understood.

 
The third stage in the communication cycle is transmitting, as this is when you are transmitting a message in the correct format and also at the correct time. It is when a message is sent, via through oral communication (verbal) or using body language. The meeting was taken place in a ward day room where there was a lot of noise and a light flickering. This was unacceptable and to improve this situation the meeting should have been held in a quiet room with no distractions where...